Justin Trudeau hit by stones on the campaign trail: What you need to know

Picture courtesy: BBC/Reuters

Liberal leader Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been hit by gravel thrown by protesters during a campaign stop in London.

As Trudeau went to get on the bus, which was surrounded by angry protesters, small objects could be seen thrown in his direction.

Trudeau later confirmed to reporters on the campaign plane that he was hit by gravel but said he is fine. He compared the incident to when a woman threw pumpkin seeds at him in 2016.

Mr Trudeau called a snap election in mid-August, in the hope of gaining a majority government for his left-of-centre Liberal party.

But his campaign has been disrupted by demonstrations against Covid-19 vaccine mandates and other restrictions.

Trudeau's campaign has been the target of protests before, one of which led the campaign to cancel a planned rally.

Conservative leader Erin O Toole sent a Twitter message calling the incident "disgusting" and condemned the actions "in the strongest terms possible".

"Political violence is never justified and our media must be free from intimidation, harassment, and violence," he tweeted.

Mr Trudeau's plans for vaccine mandates have become a key issue ahead of the 20 September election.

Last month, the government announced that all civil servants - including workers in federally regulated sectors, like rail - must be vaccinated by the end of October or risk losing their jobs.

Commercial air, cruise and interprovincial train passengers must also be vaccinated to travel.

Canada has one of the highest Covid vaccination rates in the world.